Apparatus for bending wired sheet metal.



G. H. STEPHENSON & G. R. PEARE. s. s. PBARB, ADMINISTRATRIX or G. R. PEARE, DEGD APPARATUS FOR BENDING WIRED SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1910.

1,073,077. Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH 50.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

was:

UNITED STATES Parana ornron.

CHARLES H. STEPHENSON AND GEORGE E, PEARE, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS; SARAH SLADE PEARE ADMINISTRATBIX 0F SAID GEQIRGER-ICHABD PEARE, DECEASED.

AIE'iEARATUS F013 BENDING WIRED SHEET METAL.

1,073,077. Specification of Application filed June 24,

To all whom, it ma concern:

Be it known t at we, CHARLES H. STE PHENSON and GEORGE E. PEARE, of Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Bending Wired Sheet Metal, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates. to the production of reinforced sheet metal, especially where two different pieces of sheet metal are joined, such as in the manufacture of sheet iron or steel receptacles, as, for instance, ash cans, garbage receptacles and waste pails.

A strong and durable sheet metal receptacle is formed with a cylindrical body having its upper edge rolled around a reinforcing wire, and having itslower edge interlocked by rolling with the edge of a down turned flange of a circular bottom, the two interrolled edges being reinforced by a wire.

Our present invention relates particularly to the apparatus whereby the cylindrical body and the circular bottom are joined and reinforced. t j

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for forming and assembling the cylindrical body and a flanged base member, without unduly crimping the rolled edges during the manufacture.

Another object of theinvention is to pro vide improvedapparatus which will enable the cylindricalbody portion and the circular flanged bottom member to be conveniently reinforced and interlocked.

To these ends the invention consists in the apparatus substantially as hereinafter described and claimed. 3 v

Of the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 is an elevation of the machine in one of its embodiments, looking from the direction toward which the sheet-moves when being curved. F ig. 2 is an end view from the right of Fig. 1. Fig. Sis a fragmentary elevation of the feed rolls and their sleeves, and showing a sheet in section between the rolls and sleeves. Fig. 4: is a detail elevation of one of the sleeves. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation, partly in section, of another sleeve. Fig. 6 is a detail section on line 6,6 of Fig. 3, the section being taken through an upper sleeve at one end of the machine and a lower sleeve at the other end of the ma.-

L c n Patented Sept. 9,1913.

1910. Serial No. 568,746.

sheet of metal with a flexible mandrel in the position which it may occupy when the sheet; is being curved or bent in the direction of the arrow.- Fig. 8 represents a section on line 88 of F ig. 1, on a larger scale, a sheet of metal and a wire in place being shown between the sleeves. Fig. 9 is a detail elevation of the bracket and guidingrolls shown in Fig. 1, and illustrating the operation of the small rolls on the work. Figs. 10, 11, 12, 13 and 1 1, are detail sectional views illustrating diflerent steps of the method. Fig. 15 is, a view similar to Fig. 11, but illustrating a modification of the structure of the flexible mandrel which may be employed.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all of the views.

Parts of the frame of the bending machine. are shown at 15, said partshaving the usual slots for the bearing blocks of the elongated feeding rolls 16, 17 and the bending roll 18, all three of these rolls having elongated peripheral portions which are parallel-from end to end to act on the body of the sheet, the edge of which is to be wired. Secured to the shaft of the lower feeding roll 17 are a gear 19 and a pinion 20, and to the shaft of the upper feeding roll 16 is secured a pinion 21. Communicating gearing 22, 23, mesh respectively with the pinions 21 and 20. A driving pinion 24:, having a crank 25, meshes with the gear 19. By means of the crank 25, the feeding rolls are actuated in the ordinary manner of sheet metal bending machines.

So far as we are aware, it was usually customary, prior to our invention, to form the grooves which permit the passage of wired or folded edges of the sheet metal to pass through, in integral portions of the feeding rolls themselves. Owing to the fact that the roll has a lesser diameter at the bottom of the groove than the rest of the roll, there was an objectionable amount of wear in use, because of the differential surface speed of these portions of the rolls. And if the sheet is wired at both edges, and said edges are not exactly parallel, there would be a serious binding of the edges, as the sheet is carried through in the path indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 2. To overcome these ob jections, we construct those portions of the rolls which act upon the edges of the sheet,

chine. Fig. 7 is a perspectiveview of a as loose sleeves which are capable of slight longitudinal movement along the shafts of the rolls, as well as the rotative movement thereon. As shown in the drawings, the roll 17 has a sleeve 26 at one end, said sleeve having a plurality of annular groovesr And the bending roll 18 is provided with a similarly formed loose sleeve 27. The upper feeding roll 16, at the same end of the machine, is provided with a loose sleeve 28, which may be flat, because, as shown in Fig. 3, the edge of the sheet which passes between the sleeves 26 and 28 is turned downwardly. At the other end of the machine, the upper feeding roll 16 is provided with a loose sleeve 29, which has a single wide groove. Said roll, as shown in Fig. 5, is formed with a reduced hub portion, on which is adjustably secured, as by screws, a collar 30. By adjusting the collar 30, the width of the groove 31 may be Varied. Loosely mounted on the shafts of the bending roll 18, and the lower feeding roll 17, are'loose sleeves 32, 33, which may be flat (that is, having no grooves), because the edge of the sheet at that end of the machine is turned upwardly.

' It'will now be understood that when a sheet of metal a, one edge of which has been previously provided with a wire reinforce b, and the other edge formed with a flange or lip 0, with a mandrel or wire of some kind inclosed therein is passed through the machine in the direction of the arrow 00, in Fig. 7, so as to be curved, the flange or lip 0 would be liable to be crimped down too closely around the wire or mandrel (Z. Since, as will be presently described, it is necessary in later operations to remove whatever was inclosed below the lip c, to prevent too close a bend, it is desirable that the edge of the flange or lip shall not be closed downwardly beyond a position of parallelism with the sheet a. This is because, if the lip or flange c is folded in too far, it must be then pried out or opened to get the mandrel out, and such prying out or opening detracts from the strength and the appearance of the reinforced edge of the finished article. Either one of several de vices may be employed to prevent the too close bending of the flange or lip c. As shown in Figs. 3, 6, 7 and 11, a wire mandrel (Z is'employed, and a flexible mandrel 3 1, such as a flat chain, is placed againstthe wire (Z. This flexible mandrel 3 1 not only holds the wire mandrel (Z closely in the bottom of the bend, but its upper surface supports the edge of the flange or lip 0, so that the wire cl and. flexible mandrel 3-1 may be readily slipped out after the sheet has been curved, leaving said sheet with a smooth lip or flange, as indicated in Fig. 12.

Instead of employing the wire mandrel (Z, one side of the flexible mandrel itself may be round. as'shown at 34, in Fig. 15, this being accomplished by simply making the links along one side of the chain semi-circular in cross-section. V

A bracket 36 attached to the frame 15, is

provided with two rolls 35 and 37, the roll' 34, is employed, the roll 35 is removed. But

for some purposes, we find that the roll 35, when in place, as shown in Fig. 9, will serve to so hold the wire mandrel (Z as to provide for giving the proper curvature along the rolled edge, the upper surface of the roll 35 preventing excessive downward bending of the flange or lip c.

One method of operationis as follows A sheet of metal at having one edge already wired, as at 5 (see Figs. 3, 7, and 10) is passed through the machine so that the feeding rolls will operate upon the main width of the sheet, the wired edge 5 passing along the grooves of the sleeves 26 and 27, the other edge being received in the groove 31 of the sleeve 29, said other'edge having had a wire (Z placed therein, said wire being backed up and held firmly in place'by "the flexible mandrel 34/ After the sheet has been given the curvature, so as to adapt it to form the cylindrical body of a can or sheet with its'edge which is to form the bot- 7 tom of the can, open, as shown Fig. 12. In Figs. 13 and 14. a portion of the cylindrical bottom of the can or pail is indicated at 6, said bottom 'having'a' flangef which, of course, in the complete article, will stand vertically. In Figs. 13 and 14-, the portions of the parts shown are represented in the positions which they would occupy when the can or pail is lying on one side, this being so represented forthe sake of comparison with the figures above, which illustrate the positions occupied by the sheet when passing'throughthe bending machine. After the sheet a has been bent, as described, and the inandrels removed, as indicated in Fig. 12, said bottom '6 and itsflangef is slipped into the'annular recess or pocket left by the removal of the mandrels, Be-

fore the flange of the bottom is slipped into place, as shownin Fig. 13, the edge of the flange will have been wired in the same manner as the upper edge Z) of the sheet at.

The wire carried by the edge of the flange f may be the same wire which had been used as the mandrel cl, or it'may be another one.

machine which simply rolls down the lip 0 to close it tightly upon the wired edge of the flange f, as shown at g in Fig. 14.

Of course, if the flexible mandrel 34 has not been employed, the roll 35 having been used to support the flange 0 and hold the mandrel cl crowded into place, then after the sheet has been run through the bending machine, the only thing to remove will be the mandrel d, prior to inserting the flange of the bottom 6. And if a flexible mandrel, such as shown in Fig. 15 is employed, then the only thing to remove will be that one mandrel having the rounded side 34 We do not limit ourselves to any particular form of mandrel employed, to support the folded edge of the sheet and the lip 0, since any member which will prevent any rolling of the flange too far inwardly, and which will prevent bending of the flange in a few places, instead of smoothly and continuously, will sufiice.

To carry out our invention, it is, of course, essential that the groove 31 shall be a wide one, and so far as this feature of our invention is concerned, we do not limit ourselves to forming such wired groove in a loose sleeve. And the same is true, of course, in connection with the use of the mandrel, whether the latter be a flexible chain, or not. That is, the operativeness of the machine, so fas as the use of the removable mandrel is concerned, is not limited to the feeding rolls being provided with sleeves which are loose, instead of fast, or having integral grooved portions. Preferably, however, the ends of the rolls are free to rotate and to move in the direction of the axis of the feeding portions of the rolls.

We claim:

1. The combination with a sheet metal bending machine having a rotary member provided with a groove for the passage of a bent edge of a sheet, of a flexible mandrel to prevent closing in of the lip of the bent edge during curving of the sheet.

2. The combination with a sheet metal bending machine having feeding rolls, and a loosely mounted member in axial alinement with one of said rolls, said member having a peripheral groove for the passage of a bent edge of a sheet, of a flexible mandrel to prevent closing in of the lip of the bent edge during curving of the sheet.

3. A sheet metal bending machine having oppositely driven rolls with elongated parallel peripheral portions, a lower roll having a loosely mounted peripherally grooved portion at one end, the opposite end of an upper roll having a loosely mounted peripherally grooved portion whereby the machine will bend a sheet having a wired edge projecting in one direction and having its other edge curved in the other direction.

4:. A sheet metal bending machine having positively driven feeding rolls with elongated parallel peripheral portions, and peripherally grooved loosely mounted members in axial alinement with said rolls, said loosely mounted members being free to move axially relatively to said rolls.

5. In a sheet metal curving machine, a pair of feeding rolls with elongated parallel peripheral portions, a loosely mounted sleeve having a plurality of peripheral grooves and in axial alinement with one end of one of the feeding rolls, the other feeding roll having at the opposite end of the machine a loosely mounted sleeve having a wide peripheral groove.

6. A sheet metal curving machine having peripherally grooved rotary members provided with elongated parallel peripheral feeding portions, one of said members consisting of a sleeve having a hub, and a collar adjustably secured on said hub, whereby the width of the groove presented by said member may be adjusted.

7. A sheet metal curving machine having a peripherally grooved rotatably mounted member to accommodate a bent edge of asheet, and a smoothing roll adjacent said rotatably mounted member, said roll having a grooved periphery, to bear on the outer curved surface of the bent edge of the sheet.

8. A sheet metal curving machine having feeding rolls, and a loosely mounted peripherally grooved rotary member in a-linementwith one of the feeding rolls, a bracket having a smoothing roll adjacent said rotary member, said roll having a concave periphery to bear upon the outer surface of the bend of a sheet, and means for holding the material in opposition to the pressure of the smoothing roll.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. STEPHENSON. GEO. R. PEARE. Witnesses:

HENRY R. Mayo, LILLIAN C. GRAHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

